


Star Wars Clone Wars But If I could write it

by Animated_Orange_314



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gay Male Character, M/M, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28209261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animated_Orange_314/pseuds/Animated_Orange_314
Summary: I've been binge watching the series recently, I'm only on season 2 so far but I started watching two days ago, and I had some ideas... like what if I made some characters a little more fun... added some spice... made things a bit more gay? Who knows :DAlso I wanted to say, for any people who are diehard fans of the lore and the facts of the series, I'm sorry if anything I write doesn't fit some parts of the show that are important, but please don't kill me, I'm just doing something for fun
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1: My Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just a timeline bit, the part when Ari meets Anikan is one year before the clonewars, and Ahsoka isn't Anikan's padiwan yet, that's gonna happen later

I grew up on Tatooine. My family, was poor, and throughout my childhood it felt like we were forever in hiding. The universe seemed to glance over us when it decided who was blessed with good fortune, or who was to have a lucky day. I often felt like we were invisible, and although I knew we were merely a family of 5 in a large galaxy, I thought that we at least deserved a little attention. 

My name is Ari, and I was the oldest of my siblings, followed by my younger sister Morren, and my younger brother Cory. When we all lived as a family, a few years ago now, I remember my hopeless feelings, but they have been drowned out by the love I took for granted. My family was the best, and although my parents couldn't raise the three of us in a comfortable home full of amenities, they surrounded us with their love as compensation. The kind of love I miss.

When I was twelve, my family was taken by the Sand People. I remember vividly the words of my mother...

"Hide, each of you, in a different cupboard," she said in response to my father's call from outside. He warned us that they were approaching, we didn't know how close they were until we could hear his scream muffled by what was presumably a Tusken hand. Following orders, Morren climbed into the box where we kept our laundry before washing, and Cory squeezed into the trunk that we used as a table for our meals. "Ari, come with me," she said, grabbing a knife and leading me into the bedroom. She lifted up the mattress and cut a hole in the bottom of it, I climbed into the mattress and she set it back down into place. She whispered against the side of the bed just loud enough so that I could hear her, "I hope I am wrong, but I think they will find your brother and sister. The Sand People are rumored to leave no stone unturned when searching the homes that they raid. If you all escape, I need you three to stick together, family is stronger than you will ever know. I love you Ari, remember that, no matter what happens, I love you, and I will be with you forever. You're special, in time you will realize, you are special" Before I even had time to respond, I heard her get grabbed and dragged out of the room, pulled outside where her scream was muffled just like Dad's. 

I laid inside the mattress paralyzed in fear. A minute after I could no longer hear my mother, I heard Cory scream. They found him, and when he screamed, I could only imagine that it was too much for Morren to take as a high pitched sob escaped her throat followed by her scream. Both of them pleaded with the Sand People, begging to be let go. I heard them get pulled outside too, and then just like my parents, I could hear them no more. Someone entered the bedroom again. Tears were streaming down my face, but I didn't sob. I was too scared to sob, or to call out to my family. I didn't know if joining them and submitting to the same fate as a family was better than hiding here, safe but alone. Whatever decision I would have made didn't matter though. I was completely stuck, scared out of my mind.

I could hear the Tuskens speak in their strange language, and after thirty seconds of the Sand Person rummaging around the bedroom, they didn't find me, and left the room. Moments later, I heard them fire up their speeder bikes. And just like that, they were gone, and with them they took anything they deemed valuable in my home, including my family.

An hour went by before I gathered the strength to leave the mattress. I crawled out from under the mattress and curled back into a ball right beside the bed where my mother laid. I cried. I was alone, and I so badly wished for her embrace. Days had gone by, and I had not left the room. I was starving, and thirsty. What motivated me to survive was a little voice in the back of my head that wouldn't let me accept death. It kept me going against my will, and it wouldn't let me forget how I was the one my mother cut into the mattress. She said she knew my brother and sister would be found, yet I was the one she decided to stuff into the one spot the Sand People didn't check. Why? Was it because she thought I was "special?" What the hell did special even mean? 

My sadness gave way to loneliness and anger. I was angry with the universe for taking the one thing I had, and I was lonely, for the one thing I had was taken.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-----------------––––––––-––----------––––––––––––––––––––––––––-----------------–---

After four years of living on my own, my life was stable. Now don't get me wrong, I still wasn't happy, but I found new ways to survive, and I wouldn't go as far as to say I was hopeful, but I was no longer a depressed, lonely boy who missed his family and wished for death. I was still lonely, and I still missed my family, but I was thankful to be alive. Surviving on Tatooine was impressive to me. I was proud that I had successfully managed to scavenging the desert for food and water, and salvage any scrap metal for useful parts I could sell. I even began to accumulate a little extra money that I often used to keep myself well kept. Although I didn't live with anyone, I had seen myself in the reflections of scrap metal, or in cups of water, and I was happy with how I looked. All of the work I had to do to provide for myself helped me fill out, as I was sporting solid abs and decently sized chest. My arms were bigger, and my legs could keep me running for days. I had a fairly chiseled jawline, with a hint of softness that I kind of liked, I thought it helped balance the intimidating parts of me, like my buff physique. I was six feet tall, with dark brown hair that, when washed, contrasted with my light skin, but often my hair looked lighter because it was filled with desert sand. I left it unkept, as it hung over my forehead, not quite long enough to cover my eyes, which were a brilliant shade of brown, almost orange. I had a small nose, one that I felt fit my face better than any other nose would, and my lips were quite full, but they were often chapped from dry desert air. I hated how my lips always looked chapped, it felt like they were trying to send a message that I didn't want to be kissed. Although I had been completely alone for four years, and thus had no clue what I liked in a person, I knew I wanted someone to love, and that I wanted someone to love me back.

One morning, when I was on my way to the Jawa's trading center to deliver some of the scrap I salvaged, a hooded figure approached me. I had rarely seen someone taller than me, living on a planet covered in Jawas that are barely three feet tall, Tusken Raiders were the only figures who Managed to make me feel intimidated by their height. I knew this person wasn't a Tusken Raider, but my instincts made me wary of them. As he got closer, I could tell he was about six foot two, with wide shoulders. He was in the direction I had to go so I kept walking towards him, and he kept walking towards me. Once he was within talking distance he said my name. I looked up at him, half confused, and half in an attempt to study his features. He had piercing blue eyes, a strong jaw that lacked the softness mine had, and like me, he appeared to be quite buff. He had dark brown hair that was longer than mine, and streaked across his forehead, pulled behind his ears and fluffed out towards the back.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" I asked. I didn't mean to be rude, nonetheless come across that way, it's just that my mom was the last person I heard say my name. Nobody I have met since has been a friend, or someone else I would consider to be on a first name basis.

"Well, yes actually I did," he replied. He was trying to sound neutral, but I could sense a sarcastic undertone in his voice. "Are you Ari?"

"Yes I am," I said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I just haven't heard anyone call me by my name in a long time, that's all."

"No need to apologize. My name is Anikan Skywalker and I am here on behalf of the Jedi. We are constantly in tune with the force, searching for individuals we think possess the strength to become part of our council and fight for the Republic," he said. "I personally grew up on this planet, so I can imagine the rough upbringing you had. I was drawn here by what I feel is an inner strength in you, one that we are looking for." I was completely shocked. I heard stories of the Jedi, how they were great warriors who wielded powerful blades of light called lightsabers, and how their swords were not even their strongest weapon, but it was the force, a power that they could use to move objects with their minds. Now one of these supposed warriors was standing before me, telling me the same power that possessed him, was inside me too? Yeah right.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, "Yeahhhhh, I'm not to sure you have the right person. My name is Ari, but maybe you're looking for someone named Arie, or Arrie, I'm not sure. All I am sure of though is that I'm just someone who salvages scrap metal in the desert for a living, I don't have any of that mind magic that you speak of," I said with a slight chuckle. Apparently Anikan thought it was funny too.

"Mind magic?" he laughed. "You mean the force? Well, I hate to break it to you buddy, but the force is in all living beings, including you. I'm just telling you, that I sense something special in you, I don't really care if you sense it in yourself."

"I mean don't get me wrong, I think I'm pretty special too," I said. "Not many people can survive out here and look this great while doing it." I think he started catching on to my deflection tactics. There was no way that I was special in the ways he was talking about, and I couldn't be bothered to entertain the idea of 'becoming a Jedi,' but I didn't want to waste the stranger's time, so I thought it best to make him laugh.

"Listen, you're funny, I'll give you that, but whatever you don't see in yourself, I see in you. Quite frankly, I'm not leaving this planet without you, so just tell me what it is I need to do to convince you to come with me." He took off his hood, and I could see his face in the sunlight. I paused for a moment because I had never seen someone as beautiful as him. I didn't know what I wanted, or what I thought was pretty, but I did know that I thought the man standing in front of me was quite pretty.

"I've heard stories of the Jedi," I started, masking any attraction I felt to him, "don't you pick your 'recruits' when they are young, still weak and eager to learn with the force? I'm 16, and although the mind magic would make jobs like carrying scrap metal too and from my house a lot easier, I can manage without it," I said, setting down the parts I had been carrying for quite a while now.

"Yeah you're right about what we traditionally look for in terms of age, but consider this an exception. You're just that special," he said rolling his eyes and smirking at me.

"Hey, don't mock me," I said, returning his smirk, "I'm sorry Anikan, but I don't believe you," the smirk dropped from my face, "I have been alone on this planet for 4 years, I think that if the 'force' really chose me, it would have at least let you know a little sooner." He could tell I didn't believe him, but he kept a playful energy. He didn't stop smirking.

"We all have our time, and for you, it was just a little later. I think you should be honored that the force thought it was important enough for you to become a Jedi that it told me of all people. I hope you know, I'm quite the Jedi master," He was being funny to keep me engaged, and it was working, but there really isn't a thing he could do to make me stop looking at him if I was completely honest.

"Wow congratulations on being such a prestigious Jedi master Mr. Anikan Skywalker," I returned his mockery. "But seriously, whether or not the force wants me to become a Jedi, I don't think there is a place for me in the world that you live in."

"I'm 18, just two years older than you, and I'm the greatest Jedi in the whole universe, and I know two years doesn't sound like a lot of time, but I bet that by the time you're my age, you will be quite the formidable Jedi master. I can sense something in you, something special." He sounded like my mother.

"Of course, I'm sure I would barely be half the Jedi you are, considering you're the best of all time and everything..."

"True," he interrupted.

"... but, I literally have nothing to lose in trusting you, so I guess I'll come with."

"Awesome," he said. He looked at me for a brief moment, studying me, before he continued. "My ship is this way," I followed.

"So how exactly do you expect to do the whole training, and getting a magic light stick thing? Little kids are cool and all, but I really don't want to be doing a bunch of training with them," I said.

"You bring up a good point... I have some ideas, we'll worry about that later, for now, let's just keep walking to the ship, and I'll take you to the other, way less powerful Jedi," he said.

"I'm sure they're way less cool than you too, and humble, and..." I debated over saying what I wanted, and I felt the only way for me to play it off was to make it a clear joke, "dashingly handsome. They're probably ugly in comparison, no?" He full on laughed at my joke this time, which I took as a success.

"You know, you're quite the comedian. And to answer your question, yes, I am the best in every way possible. Although, maybe with you around, you'll contest me for best looking? I'm not saying I'd be dethroned, but you would be quite the competition." I couldn't tell if he was just playing along, or if he was flirting with me, or both. I didn't know what to say.

"Doubt it." I said. He didn't respond, and I thought I had messed up and made things awkward, until I glanced over at him and saw a faint smirk. We didn't talk the rest of the way through the desert to his ship, and once we got there, we both climbed in, and away from Tatooine he took me.

I was leaving my whole life, and my family behind, but from where I was sitting, I felt like I was doing the right thing. My family wouldn't want me to stay put, to stay stuck on that planet and refuse an opportunity to escape. At least that's what I told myself. Anikan's and my mother's words lingered in my brain: "you're special." Maybe I was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really tired, so idk if there are some parts that don't make sense. I'm sure if there are some little oopsies I'll catch them tomorrow, or someone will let me know :)
> 
> But anyway, let me know what you think! I'm excited to start this story, it's my first fic and I'm pretty happy with the direction I have in my head, but I don't know if I will be able to take what's in my mind and make it into words. I will try!


	2. Chapter 2: Arriving at the Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna have a couple chapters that are just all of the characters getting to know eachother, since I think it's important for me to make sure everything has some kind of timeline, so this chapter is more meant to set the objectives of the beginning of the story, and introduce Ari to some of the preexisting characters.

Entering Coruscant was incredible. Never in my life had I seen so many buildings and people. All that I had known were the desert sands of Tatooine, but now, it looked like there were as many people on this world as their were grains of sand back home. Tatooine didn't feel like home, but at least I was familiar with my surroundings, a contrast to how I felt now. 

I think Anikan could sense the awe in me as he said, "It's pretty incredible right?"

"I just didn't think that it was possible for this many people to exist in one place," I said, with my forehead pressed against the transparent window as I tried to get a complete view of the City beneath me.

"Coruscant is the capital of the Galaxy, and it's also home to the Jedi council, the place where I am so graciously taking you."

"My knight in shining armor," I sighed.

"You're the one who initiated the jokes," he said, "you're not allowed to sigh when I perpetuate them." He had a point, but I don't think he quite realized that all the flirty jokes I was making weren't coming from nowhere. Anikan was very pretty. That's at least what my brain was telling me. But wasn't the attraction I was feeling only supposed to be between a man and a woman? I didn't know if relationships between two men were even a thing. I wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea especially since, looks wise, Anikan was quite nice. 

"I guess you have a point, but there is such a thing as taking a joke too far, and I don't think you've gone too far yet, but you're pretty close," I was playfully threatening him.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," he said. "Anyway, we are here," he pulled his ship into a large hangar and opened the window that kept us bubbled inside the tiny ship. He hopped out, and jumped to the ground. I followed his lead, hopping out of my seat, and walking across the ship to the edge, where I hesitated for a moment before jumping off. It was only about a 6 foot drop, but from where my eyes were, it looked like 12 feet, so you can't blame me for my hesitation. Right before I hit the ground, I felt something grab me. Nobody was standing near me, but something was holding me, gently lowering me down to the ground. I looked at Anikan, he had his hand pointed slightly at me, watching me as my feet lightly touched the ground. He was using his mind magic.

"Listen, I appreciate it, but I'm more than capable of surviving a 6 foot drop," I said.

"Mhmm, not only could I see your hesitation, but I could sense it, so I thought I would help. All I did was cushion your landing, nothing to be ashamed of because you were still brave enough to take the jump in the first place," he said.

"Well, from where I was standing, it looked like a 12 foot drop, so my hesitation was completely warranted," I replied.

"Whatever you say chief." He walked, leading me away from the ship into a corridor. There were guards in white armor that wielded white lightsabers on both sides of the hallway, and at the end was a door. Anikan didn't pay any attention to the guards as we walked by, not even glancing at them, but all of this was so foreign to me that I couldn't help scanning the room with my eyes. The walls were more decorated than anything I had seen before, they were beautiful with metal trims that reached half way up and linked together to form beams that reached higher and higher until they met another from across the hallway to form a beautiful arched ceiling. As we walked, our boots made a distinct sound against the polished granite floors, a sound that I had never heard before. I was used to the sound of rubble and sand crunching together beneath me as I walked, but here, in this place and on this planet, it seemed as though things were too orderly for the presence of sand on the ground. I was so fixated on every detail of the hallway that I didn't notice when we reached the end and Anikan stopped walking. I accidentally bumped into him, knocking him off of his feet a little.

"Sorry!" I felt embarrassed. "I was just looking at the room, it's prettier than anything I've ever seen," I looked at him to see that he was smiling, about to catch his balance and respond when the doors that stood in front of us glided open, revealing three figures inside an even prettier room. I could tell Anikan was a bit embarrassed at the stance he was in when the doors open. It looked like he had just caught himself from tripping, which he had, but to the three figures, it looked like he tripped over himself, not that he was run into by his oblivious shadow.

"You alright there Anikan?" said one of the figures in the room. He had an accent, and as he slowly stepped forward I examined his features just like I had Anikan's. The man had red hair and a beard that covered most of his face, but it wasn't the kind of beard that was unruly and unkept, his looked like he maintained it well and cared about how it looked. He stood about as tall as me, maybe a tad taller, he wore a tan-colored uniform, and he smiled, I think he was laughing at Anikan. He too had incredibly blue eyes, but something about him didn't quite hit me the same as Anikan's features. I could confidently say that the man I was looking at now was attractive, but I didn't feel the same attraction to him that I did to Anikan. With Anikan, I felt like I could get lost looking into his eyes, and that I couldn't stop looking at the rest of him. I didn't understand my feelings, and now was not the time to try.

"Yeah, you know me Master, just a clumsy Jedi," he said before looking at me with a smile. It wasn't a kind smile though, it was more of a 'screw you' smile, and it made me laugh. 

"Right," said the man in the room. I don't think he bought Anikan's lie. "Well then, who might this be," he said, gesturing to me. 

"This is Ari. I know we had been discussing the potential of searching for new Jedi, searching for others who are strong with the force, and when I was visiting back home on Tatooine, I could sense him, and his power, from miles away." I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit flattered by how much Anikan was hyping me up, as there was no way anyone could possibly sense the same things he sensed. I thought his sensor must have been broken when he approached me on Tatooine, and I still thought it was here, but I wasn't one to turn down affirmation. 

"Sense his power, I do. Correct to bring him here, you were." A small green figure, who stood a little bit higher than my knee approached me, and looked at me, seemingly studying me. "Master Yoda, I am. Pleased to meet you, we all are."

"Yes, I too sense the strength Anikan is talking about," the final man inside the room stepped closer to us. His skin was much darker than mine, and he was completely bald. I felt the same respect for his appearance that I had for the other man, neither one of them were ugly, but they weren't as beautiful as Anikan was. "I'm Mace Windu of the Jedi High council, a pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Oh yes, forgive me for not introducing myself I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," the man with the accent said. "And if you think Anikan is a good Jedi, I demand all the praise, as he was my former padawan," he smirked at Anikan.

"All that that tells Ari is that you're an old man," turning to me he whispered, "I'm still the best don't worry." I laughed quietly.

"Thank you all for saying that you see something in me, whether or not I see it in myself, it still feels good to be told you're special," I said. Obi-Wan laughed.

"Special, you are. In time, you will see," said Yoda. "And Skywalker, have a negative affect on your strength, age does not."

"Yes master, I didn't mean to imply that it did, my mistake," The three of them inside the room smiled, so I did too. I didn't understand it, but I think Yoda made a joke. I would ask Anikan about it later.

"How Ari shall train, the decision we must make is," Yoda said.

"Right, I was thinking that although it may be strange, he could train alongside the young Jedi," Obi-Wan said. "The only other option I could think of would be to have him overseen by a Jedi. Not in the way a Jedi oversees their padawan, but merely a first step in teaching him to tap into the force, but I don't think that any Jedi has the time to volunteer." After Obi-Wan spoke, there was a silence, and it seemed to grow, as the four of them pondered over what to do with me.

Finally, Anikan spoke, "I'll do it."

"You, a teacher? Are you sure you're up for that Anikan," said Obi-Wan.

"Yeah, why not. Plus I feel like the two of us have quite the bond, what with being from Tatooine and everything." Anikan was quite good at sounding genuine, but sprinkling hints of sarcasm into everything he said. I admired him for it.

"Train him, you can. Begin at once, you must." Yoda said.

"Yes Master," Anikan replied.

"I suggest you head to the caves on Ilum, and begin your search for a Kyber Crystal. The lightsaber is always a good place to start when attempting to connect with the force," said Mace Windu.

"I will take him there Master, and oversee his training. We will be back soon," Anikan said. He turned to leave, and I followed. 

Just before the doors to the Council Room closed, Obi-Wan called back to me, "Oh and Ari, please make sure Anikan stays out of trouble, he's quite accident prone."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep him safe," I called back. Immediately the doors glided closed, just as they were when we first entered the hallway, and we began walking back to Anikan's ship.

"Pfff, keep me safe? Yeah right, Mr. Hesitated-On-A-Six-Foot-Jump," said Anikan.

"Please don't tell me you're still stuck on that," I laughed.

"I wouldn't exactly say I'm 'stuck' on it, I prefer to say that I am choosing to remember it, just to keep you in check and remind you that, no matter how good of a Jedi you become, I'm still the master of all Jedi," he said.

"Oh really, that's why you referred to all three men in there as Master? That didn't exactly feel like a superior talking to his subordinates. If I'm honest it felt like it was the other way around," I said.

"All Jedi Masters refer to each other that way, it's a term of respect, one that you should get used to using," he replied.

"You really think that I'm destined to be a 'Jedi Master' or whatever?" I asked.

"No," he said. I expected him to say yes, and to keep hyping me up, so his declaration surprised me. I looked at his face, and I felt a bit hurt. He met my gaze and continued, "I don't think you will become a great Jedi, I know you will."

"You're an idiot," I rolled my eyes. He may have been quite gorgeous, and holding his gaze for those brief seconds may have made my heart jump, but he was still getting on my nerves. 

"I'm not an idiot, you're just getting sick of my jokes," he said.

"Alright, I take it back, you're not an idiot. There's no way an idiot would be smart enough to pickup on my very subtle annoyance with your jokes," I wasn't really up for the jokes, and I hoped he would be able to tell.

"Thank you," he responded. He read my mind, and we walked the rest of the way to his ship in a comfortable silence. I liked people who were funny and could make me laugh, it was one of the things I was beginning to like about Anikan, but there's only so much humor one man can take, and I unfortunately reached my limit.

When we got back to the ship, I was stood slightly in front of Anikan, meaning I had to try to get in first. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. I assumed that the only way we were getting on was just like we did on Tatooine, the only difference was, on Tatooine, his ship stood barely a foot off the ground, but now it was suspended by support beams from the hangar that kept it at least six feet above the floor. I didn't quite know if I would be able to jump high enough, but Anikan's gaze was about to break through my skull so I decided I should give it a try. I grabbed the edge of the ship and jumped, hoisting myself up onto the side. I felt like I would be able to pull myself up, maybe I wouldn't look all too graceful, but I would definitely get up. That's when I felt myself get gripped again. This time though, I felt the warmth of another human, grabbing me at my waist, and helping me up by providing me enough support to effortlessly pull my legs up and onto the ship. I made it up, and not even a second later, Anikan jumped high above the ship, and landed casually in his seat.

"What did you do that for? I was perfectly capable of making it up on my own," I said.

"Yeah I know," he replied. "We both know though, that you would have looked really funny doing it, swinging one leg up and rolling onto the side of the ship. I just wanted to save you the trouble." There wasn't an ounce of sarcasm or cynicism in his voice at all. I could only hear sincerity, and I appreciated him for it.

"Thank you," I said.

"Anytime," he looked at me, and watched me climb into my seat, almost like he was waiting to make sure I didn't need any help. I sat in my seat and the glass bubble that kept us in closed. He started the engines, and off to Ilum we went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all of you you liked this chapter and are excited to see where this story goes, I know I am ;)
> 
> I'm definitely not going to give any characters a simple love story, I know that it seems like I'm setting up for that, but Anikan and Padme do end up together in the real story, which is something that may or may not happen in my story, but I have no intention of ignoring Padme's existence.
> 
> I woke up yesterday and saw that 20 people had read the first chapter, which I know isn't a lot compared to some other stories on here, but I had no clue that anybody would even see this fic in whatever their search results were, nonetheless read it. I thought it was super cool, and it motivated me to write this chapter right away instead of waiting. I hope you enjoy this one, and thank you to the one person who left a Kudos :)
> 
> Lmk what you think in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3: Ilum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Start of the whole training thing on Ilum (I'm thinking Ilum will have at least 3 chapters with it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say, the ship that I keep referencing is the same one that R2 would normally be in, but I wanted to wait before I made him a character because I don't know how to give him any dialog :D

I had only met Anikan about six hours ago, but I had already traveled what felt like half of the Galaxy with him. Ilum was a celestial body in the 'Unknown Regions' according to Anikan. It was funny to me how an entire planet could be remote. Back on Tatooine, a trading outpost was considered remote if it took longer than an hour to get there on speeder bike. But here, in the 'Unknown Regions' Ilum was remote because it took a couple extra minutes to get there through hyper space. Just one hour knowing the Jedi sitting infront of me, piloting the ship, and already, this whole life that I was discovering was becoming hard to believe. I closed my eyes for a moment, and still through my eyelids, I could see the universe flashing by us as we zipped through the nothingness in hyper space. I must have dozed off because the next thing I remembered was Anikan's voice pulling me out of my trance.

"Wake up sleepyhead, we're here," he called from the front seat. I lifted my head from my fist that supported it when I slept, and blinked my eyes a few times to help them focus.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"It couldn't have been that long, we left Coruscant about 15 Minutes ago," he replied.

"Felt like way longer. And it reminded me how tired I am," I said, stretching my arms above my head.

"Well, no time to rest now, you've got some learning to do," he said.

"True, and you've got some teaching to do," I responded.

"Also true," he said, and I could hear that he was smiling. Anikan seemed like the kind of person who had a tough exterior, but a pretty soft interior. If I had to guess, I wouldn't have pegged him for the Jedi type, if there even is one. From what I've understood at least, the Jedi aren't just supposed to have a hard exterior, but also a hard interior. They were supposed to be strong-willed and rational, while still having compassion, but not letting that compassion turn into love that could cloud their judgement. All of that felt incredibly contradictory to me, and I still didn't think Anikan had even close to an appropriate balance of those traits. Maybe everything I was sensing about him was the force awakening in me and giving me the power to better understand all lifeforms. Or maybe I was just a good judge of character, who knows.

"I know that all of this Jedi stuff is really important, but please tell me there are beds on this planet, I don't think I can last much longer without my beauty sleep," I said. I really was tired. Anikan didn't find me on Tatooine in the morning, it was more towards the late afternoon, when the sun was really strong, but not quite ready to start setting yet. Starting late in the day, plus the six hours we were together meant that I had been up for about 18 hours and I was starting to feel tired.

"Yeah, there's a Jedi outpost out here, we'll have enough food and water to survive, and although they aren't luxurious, there are beds," he said.

"Thank god. Do you plan on starting immediately, or can I claim the sleep you're promising me right when we land," I said.

"I'm actually kind of tired too," he laughed, "so I was thinking that we land, get something to eat, and then start training in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied. We entered the atmosphere of the planet, and everywhere I looked I could only see ice. All over the ground, everything was covered in ice, and not just a thin layer, but there were ice mountains that shimmered like diamonds in the fading light from the nearest star. I had only ever seen sand, never really ice, and from the warm comfort of Anikans ship, it all looked so pretty, I just wanted to touch it. I knew that the second we landed and I had to go outside into the freezing air, I would change my mind, but for now, the ice was pretty. Anikan piloted the ship into a smallbreak in the mountains where I could see a little bit of infrastructure: some buildings around what looked like a temple built into the side of one of the mountains. Buildings was a stretch though, it was more like singular rooms that were all connected together loosely by a hallway that was covered in snow. I couldn't tell how much it was actually snowing until we started to land. From above the planet, and when we just entered the atmosphere, we were above the clouds that brought the heavy snow, but now that we were barely above the ground anymore, everything around us was whited out by a blizzard. 

The ship touched down, and before he opened the top, Anikan turned to me, "About 50 feet in front of the ship is the entrance to the little outpost, you don't exactly look like you're dressed for the cold, and if I'm honest neither am I so once I open the window, just get up and start running, it's really cold."

"Roger that Mr. Skywalker Sir," I said.

"Oh, and don't worry, we are much closer to the ground, so you don't have to worry about any six foot drops," he smirked. Before I could even respond, he opened the ship and immediately my face was hit by an icy blast of snow-filled air. I hopped out of my seat, ran across the top of the ship, jumped off, and sprinted for the door Anikan said would be ahead of us. Anikan wasn't quite as eager to get inside as I was, he took a moment to close the ship back up again so that the inside didn't get filled with snow, but I stopped for no one. I could hear the snow crunching under my boots as I ran, and it sounded different than the sand back on Tatooine, and the marble at the Jedi Council building, and I learned that I really liked the sound of snow under my boots. The crushing of the fluffy powder into a thin, compacted sheet of snow was quite satisfying, and quite a good way to take my mind off of how damn cold it was outside. I eventually, literally, ran right into the door of the building. I think I bruised my head a little on the slightly illuminated, snow-covered window, but that was a problem for later, as right now, I just needed to get inside. I opened the door, and lunged inside so fast, slamming it shut behind me. Sure, Anikan was behind me, but he was at least a few steps behind, and I needed the cold to be kept away by something, so I decided to close the door. There was a heating vent right above the entrance I came through, and I revelled in the warmth that was surrounding me. Anikan apparently sensed the joy I was feeling, and felt the need to ruin it, as he opened the door to get in himself, which again, blasted me with an icy wind.

"I'm sorry I didn't hold open the door for you," I said, still slightly shivering, "it's just really cold."

"No worries. I definitely took it personally, but I'm willing to forgive and forget," he said.

"It's okay, I'll make it up to you," I replied.

"Oh really, how's that?" he raised one eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

"I will be the best Jedi student you've ever seen," I announced, walking backwards further into the outpost, "it will just be tomorrow, after we get some rest."

He started walking too, slightly trailing me. "Yeah I believe you, from what I've seen, you've got a lot of promise."

"Stop, you're making me blush," I said in a monotone voice.

"I can tell," he said. I was still walking backwards, so to avoid bumping into anything and embarrassing myself in front of him, I turned around and fully started to take in the room I was now standing in the middle of. It was quite a cute little room, I assumed it was meant to be the kitchen/dininghall, as there were stoves lining one of the walls, and rows of benches in the middle of the room. The whole outpost looked fairly industrial, with metal walls, multiple levels thick to help with insulation, and small slivers of a window every so often on the walls. I turned to Anikan, about to ask a question, when he said, "Showers are down the hallway to the left, and the bedrooms are down the hallway to the right."

"How did you... how did you know I was going to ask that?" I asked.

"The force lets me read your mind." he said with a completely straight face. My eyes widened a little. If he could read my mind, then he knew everything I thought about him, as my thoughts were't exactly kept quiet. I didn't think anyone could listen inside my head, so I dedicated that space to ranting about how attractive Anikan was. He started laughing, which only confused me, "I can't read your mind Ari, I'm just messing with you. You've asked about sleeping three times now, I new you were going to ask about the bedrooms, no force magic required for that one."

I laughed too, "You had me there."

"I know," he said. I went into the left hallway, as I thought it would make sense to take a shower, before I headed to bed. I didn't see if Anikan went off into the bedrooms or if he stayed in the kitchen, I wasn't really paying attention. My brain was now in the delirious phase, where all I could think about was my path to bed, and nothing else mattered. I showered, and to my delight, the water in the showers was very warm, which helped me fully recover from the frozen air outside. When I left the shower, I tied my towel around my waist and noticed that there was a closet on the other side full of different sizes and styles of 'Jedi Trainee' uniforms according to the label on the door into the closet. I opened the door and looked at my options. I liked my clothes from Tatooine, but I hoped that the uniforms here were better suited for the cold. I found a uniform that fit me well, it was a tan-colored robe that had orange boots and beige pants, with a coffee-brown outer coat that I didn't put on since I felt it was too warm, but I carried it with me out of the showers to keep. As I walked, I hadn't even registered the possibility of having any human interactions, as all I was focused on was getting to bed, so when I came across Anikan still in the kitchen, with two mugs of hot chocolate, I was both happy that he made me hot chocolate, and dreading the fact that I had to delay my mission to get to bed.

"Wow, look at you, looking the part already," he said, handing me the second mug.

"Why thank you," I said, "I found a closet in there full of clothes that were 'for Jedi Trainees' so I helped myself, which I hope is okay."

"I'm sure it's fine," he looked me up and down, then his eyes stilled on the top of my head. I felt self conscious, like my har was messed up or something, but I made sure to kind of put it into place after I dried it so it wasn't completely a spiky mess. Still looking at my head Anikan said, "Your hair is much darker than I thought that is was." 

I was a little flattered that he cared enough to pay attention and notice something that only I had ever noticed about myself before. "Yeah, it always gets lighter when I don't wash it because of all of the desert sand back on Tatooine, and I think just now was the first time I washed it in two days, so there was quite a bit of sand still in it," I said, taking a sip of hot cocoa to hide any flustered look on my face.

He smiled to himself and looked at his feet. "The same thing used to happen to me," he said.

"You should tell me about your life on Tatooine, maybe we can compare stories, and further grow our impenetrable bond," I said. I was really curious about his past, and I wanted to get to know him as well as possible. Part of Anikan maintaining his tough exterior seemed to be his desire not to let too many people into his heart. Whether or not that was motivated by his own choice, or how he interpreted the Jedi code was unknown to me, but either way, I wanted to break down his walls, and get to know him.

"Maybe I will," he looked up and made eye contact with me, holding it for a few seconds, "Maybe..." he broke the eye contact, and stood up from the counter he was leaning against, "Anyway, we better head to bed, no?"

"Awwww yeah, I've been looking forward to this," I replied. "Race you!" I said, slamming down my finished cup of hot cocoa, and sprinting off to the bedroom. He chugged the rest of his hot cocoa, set the cup down, and chased after me. I won, of course. I was expecting to win, but I was always down for some childish game like a race. 

"You're fast," he breathed, entering the bedroom about a second behind me.

"I know, it's all the carrying scrap metal back on Tatooine, kept me in good shape. Seems you should spend a little more time there, get yourself back up to speed," I winked at him mockingly.

"Oh please, I'm no sore loser, but I would like to acknowledge that you did have a head start," he said.

"I don't think we should spend our time harping over the small details," I said. I looked around the room and saw that there were four bunks in each corner of the room for a total of eight beds.

"Call it a small detail if you want, but don't think I'm going to forget your tactics for next time," he warned.

"Already planning a next time are you? That's too much forward thinking for me, I'm just trying to think about where I want to sleep," I said.

"Well, here's a pro tip for you, the lower bunks are a little more cushioned than the top bunks so, I would recommend you take that lower bunk," he pointed to the one at the back left corner of the room, "and I'll take that lower bunk opposite you, incase you have a nightmare and need to talk about it," he said, pointing to the bunk at the back right corner of the room.

"Thank you for being so considerate and always looking out for me," I said, stepping over to my bunk and sitting on the edge of it. "Seriously, I don't know what I would do without you," I said blinking my eyelashes at him in a mock-infatuated way.

"No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job," he said, sitting down and taking off his boots. I took mine off too and climbed under the covers, I heard him do the same. The bed wasn't exactly the nicest bed I could imagine, but it was way more comfortable than my bed back home, plus, sleeping in that bed always filled my head with bad memories, and I got nightmares a lot, reliving the day my family was taken. Anikan was only joking, but I actually was kind of appreciative that he thought to put us opposite each other incase I needed something. I turned so my back was no longer towards him and saw that he had already been looking at me. 

"What," I said.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Okay, whatever you say," I said. I looked up at the light in the ceiling that was illuminating the room and sighed because I knew one of us would have to get up and flick it off. I took it upon myself to leave the comfort of my sheets, but before I even stood up, the switch flicked itself off, and I looked over to see Anikan smiling at himself. "Thank you for that," I said.

"You're welcome. Goodnight Ari," he said.

"Goodnight Anikan." And with that, there was no more conversation. Even though I was really tired, something in my body didn't let me fall asleep first. I think my brain was too self conscious to be the first one asleep, with all of my defenses down, in the presence of Anikan. I waited for his breath to even out, whoch only look about a minute, before I too drifted off to sleep. The last thoughts I remember having were about Anikan, and how, if nothing else, I was happy that I had a good friend, and I hoped Anikan felt the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish that I could write more than one chapter a day, but they are each like mini essays. 2500+ words is what I shoot for because I feel like anything less isn't enough for a whole chapter, and I have no problem coming up with ideas, my fingers just aren't fast enough to type ^_^
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, Christmas is coming up, and I don't think I'll be posting any chapters then, but I'll TRY to keep them coming
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading, and any comments/kudos are always appreciated! :)


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